Wednesday, July 20, 2011

UPDATE: Some of you have written us asking about the difference between user names, personal domains, and display names. To clarify, your user name and personal domain are both permanent. Your user name is what will be shown across the site and in tags. Your display name, which will appear on your profile page above your icon, can be changed as often as you'd like.

It's time! As we mentioned in our last blog post, we're asking each of you to choose a permanent, unique user name that will also be used for your personal domain name. For example, if you pick the user name “rachel”, you also receive the personal domain “rachel.polyvore.com”.

To get started, log into your account and click on your Profile settings to choose your user name. Here’s what you’ll see:

Select up to 3 names of your choice. To help you out, we suggest names based on your profile information. Remember, your user name must be 4-32 characters long, and can only contain letters a-z, numbers 0-9, and dashes. You can also select a display name that appears on your profile page above your icon. Your display name can be changed as often as you'd like and it can have spaces in it, as well.

Please make sure to choose your user name by August 3rd! If you don’t, we’ll try to create one for you that's close to your existing name. All names will be assigned on August 3rd.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Congratulations to Honii, our grand prize winner for the Nordstrom Anniversary Best for Fall contest! Along with a $1,00 gift card to spend, items from Honii's winning set will be featured in five Nordstrom stores across the country! On each of these windows, there will also be a QR code that links to her set on Polyvore. Talk about bragging rights!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Each of you has a unique and creative style on Polyvore that others admire through your profile page. However, our current profile pages have URLs like http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/profile?id=1234567890 that are long and hard to remember. To make it easier to share your Polyvore profile with friends, we will be introducing personal domains like mychanel.polyvore.com or rachel.polyvore.com, similar to sites like Tumblr, Blogger, and Facebook.

Starting on July 20th, we’ll need everyone on Polyvore to select a unique user name that can be used for your personal domain. It must be 4-32 characters long. Since URLs can only contain the letters A-Z, the numbers 0-9, and dashes, you’ll need to choose your name accordingly.

We’ll be asking everyone for a top choice and 2 backups. If two people pick the same name, preference will be given to the more senior member. You’ll have 2 weeks to make your choices, and then all names will be assigned on August 3rd.

If you don’t select a name within the 2 weeks, we’ll create one for you that’s close to your existing name. Everyone can change their name once.

Also, because each of you will have a unique name, we’ll now be able to support user tagging and @mentions! With this functionality, you can mention your Polyvore friends by tagging them in set descriptions, set comments, and Style Advice. Anytime you’re mentioned, you’ll receive a notification in your activity stream.

We know that some Polyvore members like to add status messages to their user names, such as “Rachel - Busy”. Can we get a show of hands of who wants proper status messages, and who thinks it’s not important? Please leave a comment, and let us know what status messages you most commonly use.

We’re really excited about this change! Stay tuned for more details starting July 20th.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

At Polyvore, we tip our fedora hat to fashion bloggers, who are democratizing fashion with their fresh voices and inspiring the Polyvore community’s sets and trends. We’re excited to announce the Polyvore Blogger Awards, the first ever online event on Polyvore where you can vote for your favorite bloggers! Show your favorite bloggers some love by casting your votes and you can win a Chanel Timeless Classic handbag!

The Polyvore Blogger Awards begins at 9 a.m. PT on Wednesday, July 13, and ends at 5 p.m. PT on Monday, July 25.

To vote for your favorite bloggers:
1. On the Polyvore Blogger Awards contest page, create a set inspired by your favorite bloggers in each category. You can create up to 20 sets to vote in this contest.
2. In the featured items list on the contest page, find the badge for the blogger you are voting for and include it in your set. To vote in the Community’s Choice category, be sure you include the Community’s Choice badge in your set.
3. Include the URL of the blogger you’re voting for in your set description.

We’re thrilled to have a chance to recognize some of the most inspiring bloggers in fashion and see how they’ve inspired you!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Aslaug Magnusdottir and Lauren Santo Domingo are the fabulous ladies behind Moda Operandi, the first online luxury fashion retailer to allow members to pre-order tomorrow’s styles today. Working closely with the world’s top designers, Moda Operandi provides fashion trendsetters from all over the world with access to complete collections from the finest brands - including exclusive ready-to- wear, accessories and jewelry - immediately following their runway show.

Who are your fashion icons?

Aslaug: Kate Moss and Cate Blanchett.

Lauren: Nan Kempner and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. They're very different from one another, of course, but true icons nonetheless.

Where do you find inspiration?

Aslaug: Inspiration can come from a lot of places: conversations with friends, music, unusual destinations or people, or raw nature. The most inspirational experiences are often those that are somewhat uncomfortable or strange in the beginning but keep you thinking later.

Lauren: Everywhere. I am especially inspired by all the young talent in New York City, both in fashion and in the arts. There is such innovation coming out of our city.

What is in your dream closet?

Aslaug: My dream closet is extremely well-organized and spacious so it is easy to go through and put together outfits. It is well-edited and every piece in it is something that I love. It has variety in color and design so that I can quickly and easily find something to fit the occasion and my mood. It has a good mix of cocktail and day dresses, beautiful heels and boots, lots of handbags and clutches, and a nice array of costume and fine jewelry.

Lauren: Lots and lots of evening bags. I tend to wear the same looks with great frequency, but find I can completely reinvent a look just by switching out accessories.

Hats: They are the perfect chic accessory to finalize a look. One of my favorite hats for fall is DVF’s Bolero hat, made by Worth and Worth

Cuffs/bracelets: Cuffs and bracelets continue to be a big trend for fall. I love the crystal cuffs from Vionnet and Janis Savitt makes beautiful cuffs in gold and silver

Red cocktail dresses: The fall runways were full of red. I plan to buy a beautiful red cocktail dress as one of my in-season purchases.

Lauren: I am looking forward to wearing some sensible shoes. After years of teetering around on sky-high heels, I am relieved see so many kitten heels on offer this season.

What advice would you give to aspiring fashionistas?

Lauren: Do your homework. I have always been a student of fashion history but when I was in high school and university, the internet was not what it is now. The wealth of images, stories, and information is unprecedented. There is no excuse not to know who Paul Poiret was or to be able to differentiate the work of Avedon from Penn.

Aslaug and Lauren have a styling challenge just for you. Dress either Aslaug or Lauren for a New York summer night filled with rooftop parties, trendy restaurants, theater, and fun! They'll choose one winner to receive Eddie Borgo's Bear Trap Bangles in rose gold and a $200 gift card to be spent on Moda Operandi!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

We've noticed that many of your sets are inspired by stunning models and breathtaking editorial photo shoots. So to help provide you with rich, high quality images to use, we're introducing a new and exciting embellishment category to the editor: People & Print! Now you can easily search and add beautiful images of models and editorial shoots from fashion sites like myfdb.com and models.com to your sets.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Today's interview is with the lovely julietaV. She's been a Polyvore member for a year and has certainly made her mark. Her stylish and playful set layouts have made her a top contender in many contests, and she most recently won Sasha Charnin Morrison's Style Influencer challenge! Here are some of her sets:

I'm 31 from Juarez, on the border of the US and Mexico. I'm a college student, housewife, and mother of two adorable boys! I'm married to a great man who supports me in pursuing my fashion dreams. I love art and used to paint and make sculptures. Doing art would feed my creative side, and now with Polyvore I feel even more fulfilled since fashion has always been a part of me. I'm addicted to making sets, discovering the latest trends, making great friends, and getting to see wonderful sets.

What are your personal aspirations?

I have a great family and that's my number one priority. But I also have fashion dreams that I want to pursue. I just started my own blog, VJuliet, which has been on my to-do list since I discovered Polyvore. I'd love to be a stylist or start my own fashion business.

How has Polyvore affected your life?

Polyvore has changed my life and brought me back to my dreams. When I was 20, I was very lucky to study abroad in Florence, Italy, where I studied the History of Art and wanted to become a fashion designer. Love brought me back to America, but I was missing the fashion I love so much, until I discovered Polyvore. Making sets and discovering so many beautiful fashion items and people who understand my passion for fashion has made me aware of my dreams again. This time, I'm going to pursue them!

Describe your personal sense of style.

My style is kind of casual chic. I follow trends but I know when one is not for me. I prefer to choose items that fit me well and compliment my style.
What are some of your favorite brands?

I would love to have a better way to find the items I've saved, by color or just to type what I'm looking for. I have so many items and it's hard to find things! Also, it would be great if I could organize my contacts and select my favorites to watch. Many times I miss some wonderful sets with so many people to watch.